Variable-speed friction-gear.



No. 650,8l5. v Patented June 5, I900. J. ARTHUR.

VARIABLE SPEED FRICTION GEAR.

(Application filed Sept. 27, 1898.)

(No Moqiel.)

WITNESS 8.- V INVENTOI? ATTORNEYS.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

JAMES ARTHURQOF N'EW'YORK, n. Y.

VARIABLE-SPEED FRICTION-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,815, dated June 5,1900.

Application filed September 27,1898. filerial No- 691,993. (No model) Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES ARTHUR, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Fric=tion-Gear, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to variable-speed friction-gears and it consistsin so arranging and operating the power-transmittin g friction-pulleysof the two driving-disks relatively to the driven disk that the drivendisk may and will be rotated in opposite directions from the twodriving-disks and be thrown out of gear with both of them by the slidingof the friction-pulleys beyond and clear of its sides and at the timewhen the friction-pulleys of the driving-disks are at the smallestoperating circles of them and the driving-pulleys be gradually startedand stopped when brought into gear with and when disengaged from eitherof the driving-disks.

To more fully describe the variable-speed and power-transmittingapparatus embodying the above and other minor features of construction,I will refer to the drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe reversible variable-speedfriction=gear made according to myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, and Figs. 3 and 4: aremodifications of the friction-pulley-controlling device.

The disks to, k, and b are mounted on shafts a, k, and b, respectively,which have their bearings in frames projecting from the baseplate 0 andare so arranged as to cause an alinement of the disks or a rotation ofthem Motion is imparted from disk at to the disk I) by means offriction-pulleys cl d and shafts e, to which they are secured. Thesepulleys d (1, formed of a suitable tenacious and gripping material, bearagainst the sides of the disks 0. and b and are so spaced that when theone bearing on disk at is near its center the other one is near theperiphery of the disk I), so that under these conditions the ratio ofspeed between the disks, or being the driver, is as the smallestdiameter of a is to the largest diameter of b, and this speed may begradually changed by the longitudinal adjustment of the shaft 6 andfriction-pulleys d d to awratio of speed as the largest diameter of a isto the smallest working diameter of b, all variations of speeds betweenthese two ratios being available. In the application of this principleof varying speeds it is preferred to place opposing friction-pulleysdand d on the two sides of the disks a and b, so that :the clampingpressure on each side of the disks will be resisted by a similarclamping pressure on their other sides, thereby increasing thefrictional contact-surfaces, and consequently the power-transmittingcapacity, of the apparatus and removing from the shafts a and b andtheir bearings all end strains and thrusts. The shaft a of thedriving-disk a is provided with a pulley and belt f. The shaft 1) of thedriven disk I) may also be provided with a pulley, so as to transmitpower and speed by the usual belt attachments to the machine beingdriven when these improvementsare embodied in a detached apparatus, orthe shaft 1). (shown broken in the drawings) may be a part of themachine being driven.

Each of the shafts e of the friction-pulleys d d has its bearings in aframe g, pivoted to ears projecting from the slide h, which works inways formed on the bed 0, said frames g being drawn together at theirupwardly-extending ends by means of a bolt and nut 2'. By the adjustmentof this bolt and nut the friction-wheels cl (1 are caused to bearagainst the sides of the disks with the desired degree of pressure tocause them to transmit the necessary power. A fiexible block or springis placed under the nut of the bolti to'afford a yielding resistance tothe pressure between the friction-wheels and disks and tocompensate forany slight irregularities in the working parts. The disk is is arrangedin' the same plane as the disks a and b. It is mounted on a shaft is andis designed to be used as a driver, being actuated by the pulley andbelt Z. Another set of friction-pulleys 'n' on shafts 0, carried byframes 19, pivoted to the slide q, impart motion from'this disk It tothe central driven disk I). The pulleys an are caused to grip the sidesof the disks bythe adjustment of the bolt and nut '5 in a manner similarto the pressure applied to the pulleys d d.

Between the slides h and q is fitted to move transversely on the bed theslide r, which is actuated and controlled by the lever r. This slide 7'has slots 0' and r formed in it, in which rest studs projecting from theextensions h and q of the slides h and q, these slots being so formedthat when the slide r is in its central position the slides 7L and q areheld in their most backward positions, with their friction-pulleys d anda clear of the central disk Z1, so that with the parts thus set nomotion is imparted to the disk I) from either disk ct or disk 75. Nowwhen the slide is moved forward by its lever of the inclined part of theslot 0' moves the slide q and its friction-pulleys inwardly, the pulleysa sliding over the edge of and gripping thesides of the disk I),initially imparting to this disk its lowest velocity due to the speed ofthe disk 70. lVhen the slider is moved out to its fullest extent in thisdirection, the pulleys a will impart the maximum speed to the disk I).In the drawings the pulleys n n are shown about midway of the respectivedisks. lVhile this forward movement of the slide 7* and the reversemovement of the same is occurring, the slide his held stationary, withits pulleys (1 clear of the disk Z), by the stud on the extension h ofthe slide it being controlled by the part of the slot T which isparallel to the direction of movement of the slide r. For a Similarreason when the slide 0 is moved in the other direction from its centralposition the inclined part of the slot r causes the inward movement ofthe slide it and the consequent gripping of the disk I) by thefrictionpulleys d, the pulleys n n at this time be ingheld clear of thedisk I) by the stud on the extension q of the slide g, which is then inthe parallel part of the slot r By this arrangement it will be seen thatthe driven disk I) may at will be left free or be rotated in eitherdirection in accordance with the directions of rotation imparted to thetwo driving-disks a and 7;.

It is proposed to make a sufficiently-loose fit of the pivotalconnections between the frames 9 g and slide hand between the frames19 1) and the slide 1 that when the pulleys d and n are set so as toclear the disk I), as shown at the left end of Figs. 4 and 5, they willclose somewhat together in the spaces between the disks and relieve thedisks (6 and k of the pressure of their respective frictionpulleys. Theapparatus adapts itself for use as a single-acting variable-speed gearof increased power simply by the substitution of the-slide s, Fig. 3,for the slide r and reversing one of the driving-belts of the disk a or70. This slide 8 has its slots .9 and .9 into which fit the studs of theextensions of the slides 71 and q, inclined in opposite directions fromone end of the slide to the other, so that upon the movement of theslide the friction-pulleys d and n are caused to grasp and move over thesides of the disk 1) toward its center and move away from its centertoward and clear of its periphery simultaneously.

At Fig. 4 another modification of the frietion-pulley controller isshown, which consists of a lever 2, adapted to be pivoted to the bed 0between the slides h and q and provided with arms 1/, t which may beconnected to the slides h and g, respectively, by the rods u and u, thesaid arms being so arranged that when the lever i is moved in onedirection say toward the rightthe are through which the arm t moves,will be such as to impart to the slide 1 its full movement and causethe pulleys a to travel the full desired distance over the disk Z),while the equal are through which the arm 1 moves will be in suchdirections as to cause but slight movement of the slide 7L and itsfriction-pulleys d, and vice versa, the spaces between the disk I) anddisks (1 and 76 being sufficient to permit of the slight movements ofthe friction-pulleys without said pulleys coming in contact with eitherof them.

I claim as my invention 1. A variable-speed friction-gear comprising adriving and a driven shaft, a disk secured to each of the drivinganddriven shafts, and connected motion-transmitting frictionpulleysarranged to bear against the sides of the disks, means for setting saidfriction-pulleys in different positions on the sides of the disks so asto change the relative speed of the disks and for moving thefriction-pulleys beyond and clear of the sides of one of the disks,whereby the driven disk and its shaft may be stopped at will withoutstopping the driving-shaft.

2. A variable-speed friction-gear comprising three disks arranged in oneplane, parallel shafts carrying the three disks, connectedfriction-pulleys in two sets arranged to'bear against the sides of thedisks so as to impart motion from the two outside disks to the centraldisk, means for moving the sets of connected pulleys of each outsidedisk and central disk to cause them to progressively bear on increasingcircles of the outside disk and decreasing circles on the central diskand vice versa. and for moving the pulleys acting on the central diskout of contact therewith beyond its periphery, whereby the central diskmay be disconnected from both of the outside disks or connected to onlyone of them.

3. A variable-speed friction-gear comprising three disks arranged in oneplane, parallel shafts carrying the three disks, two sets offriction-pulleys secured to shafts arranged at right angles to thedisk-shafts so as to impart motion from the two outside drivingdisks tothe central driven disk, a slide for carrying each set offriction-pulleys and their shafts, another slide arranged to move atright angles to the friction-pulley slides and provided with slots intowhich extend studs projecting from the other slides whereby thefriction-pulleys are set and held in different positions against thesides of the disks and means for moving the slotted slide.

4. A variable-speed friction-gear comprising three disks arranged invone plane, parallel shafts carrying the three disks, two sets heldstationary beyond the periphery of the driven disk while the other setis in operative position to impart motion to the driven disk, or bothsets of friction-pulleys held .clear of the driven disk, and means formoving the slotted slide.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 22d day of September, A. D. 1898.

JAMES ARTHUR.

Witnesses:

CHAs. STRAEHLE, ALFRED SHEDLOCK.

